Montreal's Canal de Lachine 4.0: Where Heritage Meets Innovative Branding

Original Source: https://abduzeedo.com/montreals-canal-de-lachine-40-where-heritage-meets-innovative-branding

Montreal’s Canal de Lachine 4.0: Where Heritage Meets Innovative Branding
Montreal's Canal de Lachine 4.0: Where Heritage Meets Innovative Branding

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Featuring’s branding for Montreal’s Canal de Lachine 4.0 economic development hub marries historical elements with a forward-thinking vision. Discover how design fosters growth in this unique urban space.

Montreal’s Canal de Lachine 4.0 is more than an economic development hub; it’s a bridge between the city’s storied past and its innovative future. This vision is captured beautifully in the branding and graphic identity crafted by Featuring, a design agency known for its thoughtful and impactful work.

The challenge was to create a visual language that aligns with Montreal’s economic hubs while reflecting the unique character of Canal de Lachine 4.0. Featuring’s solution is a harmonious blend of heritage and progress.

The design uses brick red and an industrial icon to evoke the area’s rich industrial history. This nod to the past is balanced by vibrant green, symbolizing sustainability and the area’s evolution towards a greener future. The typography is clean and modern, hinting at innovation and technology.

A recurring motif is the flowing blue line representing the Lachine Canal itself. This symbolizes both the area’s industrial heritage and its ongoing transformation, connecting past, present, and future.

Featuring’s design is more than just aesthetics; it’s a strategic tool for attracting businesses and talent. The strong visual identity communicates the area’s unique value proposition: a place where history and innovation converge, fostering growth in industries like creative arts, manufacturing, and technology.

This project is a testament to the power of branding and web design. It shows how design can capture the essence of a place, tell its story, and contribute to its economic development. Featuring’s work for Canal de Lachine 4.0 is a shining example of design that’s not only beautiful but also meaningful and effective.

Branding and web design artifacts

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Credits

Client : Ville de Montréal, PME MTL
Agence : Featuring
Direction de création : Karl-Frédéric Anctil
Direction artistique / motion : Lou Tondellier
Web : TREIZE
Service-conseil : Laurianne Bonnici

A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding TypeScript Record Type

Original Source: https://www.sitepoint.com/typescript-record-type-comprehensive-guide/?utm_source=rss

A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding TypeScript Record Type

Learn why the Record type is so useful for managing and structuring object types in TypeScript.

Continue reading
A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding TypeScript Record Type
on SitePoint.

I’ve Tested and Reviewed Shopify vs Shopware

Original Source: https://ecommerce-platforms.com/articles/shopify-vs-shopware

Shopify vs Shopware: Which should you choose? I’ve said many times that Shopify is my favorite ecommerce platform, and that’s still true. It’s a fantastic solution for omnichannel selling, and it’s one of the most flexible platforms out there, thanks to its comprehensive app store.

However, Shopware is a fierce contender. After testing the platform, I was extremely impressed by the incredible themes, the versatility offered, and even Shopware’s new AI and spatial tools.

Here, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about both platforms, to ensure you can make the right decision for your business.

Quick Verdict, Pros and Cons

It’s a tough call, but I’d still give Shopify the trophy here for a couple of reasons. First, Shopware is very expensive, as it’s intended for companies with ultra-advanced ecommerce needs. The cutting-edge AI and 3D capabilities are amazing, but you’ll pay a lot for them.

Secondly, I find Shopify much easier to use overall. You really need a dedicated IT team to master Shopware.

Shopify Pros and Cons

Pros 👍
Cons 👎

Pros 👍

Omnichannel sales with an included POS
Easy-to-use platform with a smaller learning curve
Lots of flexibility via apps and integrations
Well-designed themes, and convenient editing tools
Integrated AI features and 3D capabilities
Excellent business and inventory management
Cheaper pricing than Shopware.

Cons 👎

Transaction fees for third-party gateways
Fewer unique features

Shopware Pros and Cons

Pros 👍
Cons 👎

Pros 👍

Advanced AI and spatial features
Excellent customer experience and marketing
Great inventory and order management
Enhanced workflow automation
Omnichannel and headless commerce
B2B and B2C selling
Integrations, apps-and add-ons

Cons 👎

Steeper learning curve
More expensive pricing

Shopify vs Shopware: Pricing and Fees

I’ll start by looking at the pricing of both platforms, as that’s one of the biggest areas where the differences between Shopify and Shopware stand out. While Shopify does support enterprise-level customers with Shopify Plus, and offers a lot of the same features as Shopware in that plan (including headless commerce), it supports smaller businesses too.

Shopify Pricing

Shopify offers a variety of fixed-cost monthly subscription plans. If you don’t need a full website, you can choose the Starter plan for $5 per month, although I’d really only recommend that to influencers selling merch online.

The central plans start at $39 per month for Shopify Basic, $105 per month for Shopify, and $399 per month for Shopify Advanced. The more you spend, the more staff accounts and features you’ll get. Shopify Advanced even unlocks extra features within Shopify POS.

Shopify Plus, which starts at $2,300 per month, allows companies to unlock a lot of the extra features they might find on Shopware, such as headless commerce, advanced automation, and additional AI powered tools. Notably, you will have to pay transaction fees on Shopify too, if you choose to use anything other than Shopify Payments.

MORE: Shopify Pricing Guide

Shopware Pricing

Shopware exclusively targets larger companies with unique ecommerce requirements. The platform’s cheapest plan, “Rise”, starts at $600 per month, depending on the functionality you need. Although this is over 10 times the price of Shopify’s cheapest plan, it’s worth noting you get a lot more 3D capabilities, AI tools, and automation options.

Both of Shopware’s other plans are “custom priced”. The “Evolve” plan includes advanced CX features and comprehensive B2C and B2B capabilities. The “Beyond” plan includes all of Shopware’s unique features, as well as advanced customer support.

I couldn’t find a lot of information about transaction fees with Shopware, so that may be something you’ll want to ask about when you contact its sales team.

MORE: Shopware Review

Core Features Winner: Shopify

Although Shopware is a far more advanced ecommerce platform overall, it does have a lot of features in common with Shopify, including support for omnichannel selling, automated workflows, and headless commerce, though most of the advanced features are locked to Shopify Plus.

Website Design and Themes

I’ve always been a big fan of Shopify’s themes. Both the free and premium options look fantastic, and they’re always mobile responsive, and designed to load pages quickly. The editor you’ll use on Shopify might not be as straightforward as the ones on some alternative platforms, like Wix, but it’s pretty simple to start customizing your store.

You also get a built-in blog (coming soon on Shopware), as well as SEO features baked into your store building solution. Shopware also has fantastic themes, that seem to be professionally designed to enhance your brand’s appearance, regardless of what your niche or industry might be.

The visual page builder is pretty easy to use, with drag-and-drop functionality. However, if you want to make more granular changes to your store, you might need to consider working with a developer or designer. The 3D or “spatial” capabilities on Shopware are amazing, but they definitely require a lot more technical knowledge.

These allow you to create augmented reality experiences, 3D images of products, scenes, and immersive elements for metaverse shopping.

Sales Channels and Ecommerce

As mentioned above, both Shopware and Shopify support omnichannel selling. They offer access to unlimited sales channels, allowing you to sell on social media, marketplaces, and even through brick-and-mortar locations.

Interestingly, Shopify has its own POS solution built into the platform (the Lite version is included on most plans). Shopware has an integrated POS too, but it’s powered by Pickware.

I love the fact that both of these platforms allow you to create localized experiences for international customers, with instant language translation. They also both support B2B capabilities, but you’ll need a Shopify Plus plan to access this function with Shopify, and a “custom priced” plan from Shopware to unlock anything beyond “gross/net price display”.

Business Management and Integrations

Shopware and Shopify both offer excellent tools to help you manage all kinds of business functions. I think Shopware’s customer management features are a little more impressive, with built-in cross-selling and social shopping capabilities. You’ll need integrations to access these capabilities with Shopify, which could add to your monthly costs.

Inventory and order management on both platforms is pretty similar. However, Shopware allows you to sell digital products without the need for an app or add-on (That’s not the case with Shopify). Shopify’s inventory management tools and shipping tools are a little easier to use in my opinion.

I also like the fact that Shopify makes it extremely easy to integrate with dropshipping and print on demand platforms. However, Shopware does give you the option to allow customers to “personalize” their products with their name, or an image.

Both companies also offer automatic tax calculation, and shipping calculation options (depending on the plan you choose). They also both integrate with a wide range of third-party platforms. Shopify does have an easier to use app market, however, while Shopware requires you to take an API-first approach to connecting your tools.

Marketing, Reporting and Analytics

Shopify and Shopware both enhance marketing campaigns in various ways. They both allow you to showcase product reviews on your website, host promotions, use gift cards, and create voucher codes. They also both support cross-selling and upselling, although you’ll need an app to use these features on Shopify, whereas it’s built-in on Shopware.

Both platforms are SEO friendly too, however, I think Shopware does a little more to boost your rankings, with rich snippets, canonical tags, and other unique features. I like Shopify’s built-in reporting tools better than the options you get on Shopware, however.

With Shopify, you can easily track everything from inventory numbers, to purchasing trends and cashflow. With Shopware, you’ll need to rely a little more on add-ons and integrations to unlock in-depth customizable reports. On the plus side, some reporting tools are free to add to your store, which means at least you won’t have extra fees to worry about.

AI Capabilities

Here’s where Shopware really has an edge over Shopify, at least for now. Shopify has been investing a lot in AI tools in recent years, with it’s Shopify Magic solution, and Shopify Sidekick. With Magic, you can create unique product pages, edit images, produce content, and even generate FAQ pages.

With Sidekick, you’ll have access to a convenient bot that can guide you through the process of optimizing and improving your store’s performance, or tracking inventory. Shopify is adding more AI features to its platform, but Shopware’s AI tools are a lot more robust.

One of the core features you’ll get on all plans is the “AI Copilot”, which can classify customers, create content for shopping experiences, pick keywords for images, create custom checkout messages, and so much more. Shopware also provides AI search capabilities, text to image creation, AI-enhanced spatial encounters, and scene editors.

MORE: The Ultimate Guide to Shopify Magic

Customer Support

Finally, Shopify wins again in the realm of customer support. Although it can take a while for someone to get back to you depending on a range of factors, you’ll be able to reach out to the team via chat, email, and even on the phone on a 24/7 basis.

There’s also a fantastic online community, and Shopify creates plenty of resources to guide you through building your store.

Shopware’s customer support can be excellent, but it’s not a 24/7 service. If you’re on the Rise plan, you’ll only get support between 9am and 5pm, and it can take up to 8 hours to get a response. You also only get email support.

On more advanced plans, the hours the support team is available will increase, but you’ll need the “Beyond” plan for full 24/7 service, phone support, and personal onboarding. On the plus side, there is a community forum available, and plenty of self-help resources.

Shopify vs Shopware: The Final Verdict

Overall, Shopware is an incredibly impressive platform, perfect for companies that want to build unique and advanced experiences for online customers. It soars ahead of Shopify in terms of AI features, spatial capabilities, and powerful customer management.

However, Shopify is a lot easier to use for beginners, and offers more affordable plans to companies that aren’t at the “Enterprise” level yet. It’s also a more flexible platform in my opinion, making it easier to scale and optimize your store over time.

The post I’ve Tested and Reviewed Shopify vs Shopware appeared first on Ecommerce Platforms.

Turning Rejection into Fuel: Your Guide to Creative Resilience

Original Source: https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/turning-rejection-into-fuel/

Rejection sucks. And for some reason, it’s always unexpected, which makes it feel like an ambush. Being creative is about making yourself vulnerable, and that’s why rejection hurts so much.

20 Best New Websites, August 2024

Original Source: https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/best-websites-august-2024/

Welcome to our collection of sites to inspire you this month.

Mastering Typography In Logo Design

Original Source: https://smashingmagazine.com/2024/08/mastering-typography-in-logo-design/

Typography is much more than just text on a page — it forms the core of your design. As a designer, I always approach selecting types from two angles: as a creative adventure and as a technical challenge.

Choosing the right typeface for a company, product, or service is an immensely important task. At that moment, you’re not only aligning with the brand’s identity but also laying the foundation to reinforce the company or service’s brand. Finding the right typeface can be a time-consuming process that often begins with an endless search. During this search, you can get tangled up in the many different typefaces, which, over time, all start to look the same.

In this article, I aim to provide you with the essential background and tools to enhance your typography journey and apply this knowledge to your logo design. We will focus on three key pillars:

Font Choice
Font Weight
Letter Spacing

We will travel back in time to uncover the origins of various typefaces. By exploring different categories, we will illustrate the distinctions with examples and describe the unique characteristics of each category.

Additionally, we will discuss the different font weights and offer advice on when to use each variant. We will delve into letter-spacing and kerning, explaining what they are and how to effectively apply them in your logo designs.

Finally, we will examine how the right typeface choices can significantly influence the impact and success of a brand. With this structured approach, I will show you how to create a logo that is not only expressive but also purposeful and well-thought-out.

Understanding Typography in Logo Design

From the invention of the Gutenberg press in the mid-15th century through the creation of the first Slab Serif in 1815 and the design of the first digital typeface in 1968, the number of available fonts has grown exponentially. Today, websites like WhatFontIs, a font finder platform, catalogs over a million fonts.

So, the one downside of not being born in the 15th century is that your task of choosing the right font has grown enormously. And once you’ve made the right choice out of a million-plus fonts, there are still many pitfalls to watch out for.

Fortunately for us, all these fonts have already been categorized. In this article, we refer to the following four categories: serif, sans serif, script, and display typefaces. But why do we have these categories, and how do we benefit from them today?

Each category has its specific uses. Serif typefaces are often used for books due to their enhancement of readability on paper, while sans serif typefaces are ideal for screens because of their clean lines. Different typefaces also evoke different emotions: for example, script can convey elegance, while sans serif offers a more modern look. Additionally, typeface categories have a rich history, with Old Style Serifs inspired by Roman inscriptions and Modern Serifs designed for greater contrast.

Today, these categories provide a fundamental basis for choosing the right typeface for any project.

As mentioned, different typefaces evoke different emotions; like people, they convey distinct characteristics:

Serif fonts are seen as traditional and trustworthy;
Sans Serif fonts are seen as modern and clear;
Script fonts can come across as elegant and/or informal depending on the style;
Display fonts are often bold and dynamic.

Historically, typefaces reflected cultural identities, but the “new typography” movement sought a universal style. Designers emphasized that typefaces should match the character of the text, a view also supported by the Bauhaus school.

Different Fonts And Their Characteristics

We have touched upon the history of different typeface categories. Now, to make a good font choice, we need to explore these categories and see what sets them apart, as each one has specific characteristics. In this article, we refer to the following four categories:

Let’s take a closer look at each category.

A serif typeface is a typeface that features small lines or decorative elements at the ends of the strokes. These small lines are called “serifs”.

A sans-serif typeface is a typeface that lacks the small lines or decorative elements at the ends of the strokes, resulting in a clean and modern appearance. The term “sans-serif” comes from the French word “sans,” meaning “without,” so sans-serif translates to “without serif.”

A script typeface is a typeface that mimics the fluid strokes of handwriting or calligraphy, featuring connected letters and flowing strokes for an elegant or artistic appearance.

A display typeface is a typeface designed for large sizes, such as headlines or titles, characterized by bold, decorative elements that make a striking visual impact.

Typeface Persona in Practice

Experts link typeface characteristics to physical traits. Sans serif faces are perceived as cleaner and more modern, while rounded serifs are friendly and squared serifs are more official. Light typefaces are seen as delicate and feminine, and heavy ones are seen as strong and masculine. Some typefaces are designed to be child-friendly with smoother shapes. Traditional serifs are often considered bookish, while sans serifs are seen as modern and no-nonsense.

Based on the provided context, we can assign the following characteristics per category:

Serif: Bookish, Traditional, Serious, Official, Respectable, Trustworthy.
Sans Serif: Clean, Modern, Technical, No-nonsense, Machine-like, Clear.
Script: Elegant, Informal, Feminine, Friendly, Flowing.
Display: Dramatic, Sophisticated, Urban, Theatrical, Bold, Dynamic.

Let me provide you with a real real-life logo example to help visualize how different typeface categories convey these characteristics.

We’re focusing on ING, a major bank headquartered in the Netherlands. Before we dive into the logo itself, let’s first zoom in on some brand values. On their website, it is stated that they “value integrity above all” and “will not ignore, tolerate, or excuse behavior that breaches our values. To do so would break the trust of society and the trust of the thousands of colleagues who do the right thing.”

Given the strong emphasis on integrity, trust, and adherence to values, the most suitable typeface category would likely be a serif.

The serif font in the ING logo conveys a sense of authority, professionalism, and experience associated with the brand.

Let’s choose a different font for the logo. The font used in the example is Poppins Bold, a geometric sans-serif typeface.

The sans-serif typeface in this version of the ING logo conveys modernity, simplicity, and accessibility. These are all great traits for a company to convey, but they align less with the brand’s chosen values of integrity, trust, and adherence to tradition. A serif typeface often represents these traits more effectively. While the sans-serif version of the logo may be more accessible and modern, it could also convey a sense of casualness that misaligns with the brand’s values.

So let’s see these traits in action with a game called “Assign the Trait.” The rules are simple: you are shown two different fonts, and you choose which font best represents the given trait.

Understanding these typeface personas is crucial when aligning typography with a company’s brand identity. The choice of typeface should reflect and reinforce the brand’s characteristics and values, ensuring a cohesive and impactful visual identity.

We covered a lot of ground, and I hope you now have a better understanding of different typeface categories and their characteristics. I also hope that the little game of “Assign the Trait” has given you a better grasp of the differences between them. This game would also be great to play while you’re walking your dog or going for a run. See a certain logo on the back of a lorry? Which typeface category does it belong to, and what traits does it convey?

Now, let’s further explore the importance of aligning the typeface with the brand identity.

Brand Identity and Consistency

The most important aspect when choosing a typeface is that it aligns with the company’s brand identity. We have reviewed various typeface options, and each has its unique characteristics. You can link these characteristics to those of the company.

As discussed in the previous section, a sans-serif is more “modern” and “no-nonsense”. So, for a modern company, a sleek sans-serif typeface often fits better than a classic Serif typeface. In the previous section, we examined the ING logo and how the use of a sans-serif typeface gave it a more modern appearance, but it also reduced the emphasis on certain traits that ING wants to convey with its brand.

To further illustrate the impact of typeface on logo design, let’s explore some more ‘extreme’ examples.

Our first ‘Extreme’ example is Haribo, which is an iconic gummy candy brand. They use a custom sans-serif typeface.

Let’s zoom in on a couple of characteristics of the typeface and explore why this is a great match for the brand.

Playfulness: The rounded, bold shapes give the logo a playful and child-friendly feel, aligning with its target audience of children and families.
Simplicity: The simple, easily readable sans-serif design makes it instantly recognizable and accessible.
Friendliness: The soft, rounded edges of the letters convey a sense of friendliness and positivity.

The second up is Fanta, a global soft drink brand that also uses a custom sans-serif typeface.

Handcrafted, Cut-Paper Aesthetic: The letters are crafted to appear as though they’ve been cut from paper, giving the typeface a distinct, hand-made look that adds warmth and creativity.
Expressive: The logo design is energetic and packed with personality, perfectly embodying Fanta’s fun, playful, and youthful vibe.

Using these ‘extreme’ cases, we can really see the power that a well-aligned typeface can have. Both cases embody the fun and friendly values of the brand. While the nuances may be more subtle in other cases, the power is still there.

Now, let’s delve deeper into the different typefaces and also look at weight, style, and letter spacing.

Elements of Typography in Logo Design

Now that we have a background of the different typeface categories, let’s zoom in on three other elements of typography in logo design:

Typefaces
Weight and Style
Letter-spacing

Typefaces

Each category of typefaces has a multitude of options. The choice of the right typeface is crucial and perhaps the most important decision when designing a logo. It’s important to realize that often, there isn’t a single ‘best’ choice. To illustrate, we have four variations of the Adidas logo below. Each typeface could be considered a good choice. It’s crucial not to get fixated on finding the perfect typeface. Instead, ensure it aligns with the brand identity and looks good in practical use.

These four typefaces could arguably all be great choices for the Adidas brand, as they each possess the clean, bold, and sans-serif qualities that align with the brand’s values of innovation, courage, and ownership. While the details of typeface selection are important, it’s essential not to get overly fixated on them. The key is to ensure that the typeface resonates with the brand’s identity and communicates its core values effectively. Ultimately, the right typeface is one that not only looks good but also embodies the spirit and essence of the brand.

Let’s zoom in on the different weights and styles each typeface offers.

Weight and Style

Each typeface can range from 1 to more than 10 different styles, including choices such as Roman and Italic and various weights like Light, Regular, Semi-Bold, and Bold.

Personally, I often lean towards a Roman in Semi-Bold or Bold variant, but this choice heavily depends on the desired appearance, brand name, and brand identity. So, how do you know which font weight to choose?

When to choose bold fonts

Brand Identity
If the brand is associated with strength, confidence, and modernity, bold fonts can effectively communicate these attributes.
Visibility and Readability
Bold fonts are easy to read from a distance, making them perfect for signage, billboards, and other large formats.
Minimalist Design
Using bold fonts in minimalist logos not only ensures that the logo stands out but also aligns with the principles of minimalism, where less is more.

Letter-spacing & Kerning

An important aspect of typography is overall word spacing, also known as tracking. This refers to the overall spacing between characters in a block of text. By adjusting the tracking in logo design, we can influence the overall look of the logo. We can make a logo more spacious and open or more compact and tight with minimal adjustments.

Designer and design educator Ellen Lupton states that kerning adjusts the spacing between individual characters in a typeface to ensure visual uniformity. When letters are spaced too uniformly, gaps can appear around certain letters like W, Y, V, T, and L. Modern digital typefaces use kerning pairs tables to control these spaces and create a more balanced look.

Tracking and kerning are often confused. To clarify, tracking (letter-spacing) adjusts the space between all letters uniformly, while kerning specifically involves adjusting the distance between individual pairs of letters to improve the readability and aesthetics of the text.

In the example shown below, we observe the concept of kerning in typography. The middle instance of “LEAF” displays the word without any kerning adjustments, where the spacing between each letter is uniform and unaltered.

In the first “LEAF,” kerning adjustments have been applied between the letters ‘A’ and ‘F’, reducing the space between them to create a more visually appealing and cohesive pair.

In the last “LEAF,” kerning has been applied differently, adjusting the space between ‘E’ and ‘A’. This alteration shifts the visual balance of the word, showing how kerning can change the aesthetics and readability of text (or logo) by fine-tuning the spacing between individual letter pairs.

Essential Techniques for Selecting Typefaces
Matching Typeface Characteristics with Brand Identity

As we discussed earlier, different categories of typefaces have unique characteristics that can align well with, or deviate from, the brand identity you want to convey. This is a great starting point on which to base your initial choice.

Inspiration

A large part of the creative process is seeking inspiration. Especially now that you’ve been able to make a choice regarding category, it’s interesting to see the different typefaces in action. This helps you visualize what does and doesn’t work for your brand. Below, I share a selection of my favorite inspiration sources:

Fonts in Use
MaxiBestOf
Typewolf
Savee
Font in Logo

Trust the Crowd

Some typefaces are used more frequently than others. Therefore, choosing typefaces that have been tried and tested over the years is a good starting point. It’s important to distinguish between a popular typeface and a trendy one. In this context, I refer to typefaces that have been “popular” for a long time. Let’s break down some of these typefaces.

Helvetica

One of the most well-known typefaces is Helvetica, renowned for its intrinsic legibility and clarity since its 1957 debut. Helvetica’s tall x-height, open counters, and neutral letterforms allow it to lend a clean and professional look to any logo.

Some well-known brands that use Helvetica are BMW, Lufthansa, and Nestlé.

Futura

Futura) has been helping brands convey their identity for almost a century. Designed in 1927, it is celebrated for its geometric simplicity and modernist design. Futura’s precise and clean lines give it a distinctive and timeless look.

Some well-known brands that use Futura are Louis Vuitton, Red Bull, and FedEx.

That said, you naturally have all the creative freedom, and making a bold choice can turn out fantastic, especially for brands where this is desirable.

Two’s Company, Three’s a Crowd

Combining typefaces is a challenging task. But if you want to create a logo with two different typefaces, make sure there is enough contrast between the two. For example, combine a serif with a sans-serif. If the two typefaces look too similar, it’s better to stick to one typeface. That said, I would never choose more than two typefaces for your logo.

Let’s Build a Brand Logo

Now that we’ve gone through the above steps, it seems a good time for a practical example. Theory is useful, but only when you put it into practice will you notice that you become more adept at it.

TIP: Try creating a text logo yourself. First, we’ll need to do a company briefing where we come up with a name, define various characteristics, and create a brand identity. This is a great way to get to know your fictional brand.

Bonus challenge: If you want to go one step further, you can also include a logo mark in the briefing. In the following steps, we are going to choose a typeface that suits the brand’s identity and characteristics. For an added challenge, include the logo mark at the start so the typeface has to match your logo mark as well. You can find great graphics at Iconfinder.

Company Briefing

Company Name: EcoWave

Characteristics:

Sustainable and eco-friendly products.
Innovative technologies focused on energy saving.
Wide range of ecological solutions.
Focus on quality and reliability.
Promotion of a green lifestyle.
Dedicated to addressing marine pollution.

Brand Identity: EcoWave is committed to a greener future. We provide sustainable and eco-friendly products that are essential for a better environment. Our advanced technologies and high-quality solutions enable customers to save energy and minimize their ecological footprint. EcoWave is more than just a brand; we represent a movement towards a more sustainable world with a special focus on combating marine pollution.

Keyword: Sustainability

Now that we’ve been briefed, we can start with the following steps:

Identify key characteristics: Compile the top three defining characteristics of the company. You can add related words to each characteristic for more detail.
Match the characteristics: Try to match these characteristics with the characteristics of the typeface category.
Get inspired: Check the suggested links for inspiration and search for Sans-Serif fonts, for example. Look at popular fonts, but also search for fonts that fit what you want to convey about the brand (create a mood board).
Make a preliminary choice: Use the gathered information to make an initial choice for the typeface. Adjust the weight and letter spacing until you are satisfied with the design of your logo.
Evaluate your design: You now have the first version of your logo. Try it out on different backgrounds and photos that depict the desired look of the company. Assess whether it fits the intended identity and whether you are satisfied with the look. Not satisfied? Go back to your mood board and try a different typeface.

Let’s go over the steps for EcoWave:

1. Sustainable, Trustworthy, Innovative.

2. The briefing and brand focus primarily on innovation. When we match this aspect with the characteristics of typefaces, everything points to a Sans-Serif font, which offers a modern and innovative look.

3. Example Mood Board

4. Ultimately, I chose the IBM Plex Sans typeface. This modern, sans-serif typeface offers a fresh and contemporary look. It fits excellently with the innovative and sustainable characteristics of EcoWave. Below are the steps from the initial choice to the final result:

IBM Plex Sans Regular

IBM Plex Sans Bold

IBM Plex Sans Bold & Custom letter-spacing

IBM Plex Sans Bold & Custom edges

5. Here, you see the typeface in action. For me, this is a perfect match with the brand’s identity. The look feels just right.

Expert Insights and Trends in Typographic Logo Design

Those interested in typography might find ‘The Elements of Typographic Style’ by Robert Bringhurst insightful. In this section, I want to share an interesting part about the importance of choosing a typeface that suits the specific task.

“Choose faces that suit the task as well as the subject. You are designing, let us say, a book about bicycle racing. You have found in the specimen books a typeface called Bicycle, which has spokes in the O, an A in the shape of a racing seat, a T that resembles a set of racing handlebars, and tiny cleated shoes perched on the long, one-sided serifs of ascenders and descenders, like pumping feet on the pedals. Surely this is the perfect face for your book?

Actually, typefaces and racing bikes are very much alike. Both are ideas as well as machines, and neither should be burdened with excess drag or baggage. Pictures of pumping feet will not make the type go faster, any more than smoke trails, pictures of rocket ships, or imitation lightning bolts tied to the frame will improve the speed of the bike.

The best type for a book about bicycle racing will be, first of all, an inherently good type. Second, it will be a good type for books, which means a good type for comfortable long-distance reading. Third, it will be a type sympathetic to the theme. It will probably be lean, strong, and swift; perhaps it will also be Italian. But it is unlikely to be carrying excess ornament or freight and unlikely to be indulging in a masquerade.”

— Robert Bringhurst

As Robert Bringhurst illustrates, choosing a typeface should be appropriate not only for the subject but also for the specific task. What lessons can we draw from this for our typeface choice in our logo?

Functional and Aesthetic Considerations

The typeface must be legible in various sizes and on different mediums, from business cards to billboards. A well-designed logo should be easy to reproduce without loss of clarity.

Brand Identity

Suppose we have a brand in the bicycle industry, an innovative and modern company. In Robert Bringhurst’s example, we choose the typeface Bicycle, which, due to its name, seems to perfectly match bicycles. However, the typeface described by Robert is a serif font with many decorative elements, which does not align with the desired modern and innovative look of our brand. Therefore, this would be a mismatch.

Trends
“Styles come and go. Good design is a language, not a style.”

In this part, we discuss some new trends. However, it is also important to highlight the above quote. The basic principles we mention have been applicable for a long time and will continue to be. It can be both fun and challenging to follow the latest trends, but it is essential to integrate them with your basic principles.

Minimalism and Simplicity

Minimalism in Logo Design remains one of the major trends this year. The most characteristic aspect of this style is to limit the logo to the most essential elements. This creates a clear and timeless character. In typography, this is beneficial for readability and, at the same time, effectively communicating the brand identity in a timeless manner. We also see this well reflected in the rebranding of the fast-food chain Ashton.

Customization and Uniqueness

Another growing trend is customization in typography, where designers create personalized typefaces or modify existing typefaces to give the brand a unique look. This can range from subtle adjustments in letterforms to developing a completely custom typeface. Such an approach can contribute to a distinctive visual identity. A good example of this can be seen in the Apex logo, where the ‘A’ and ‘e’ are specifically adjusted.

Conclusion

We now know that choosing the right typeface for a logo goes beyond personal taste. It has a significant impact on how powerful and recognizable a brand becomes. In this article, we have seen that finding the perfect typeface is a challenge that requires both creativity and a practical approach. With a strong focus on three key aspects:

Font choice,
Font weight,
Letter spacing.

We have seen that finding the right typeface can be a quest, and personal preferences certainly play a role, but with the right tools, this process can be made much easier. The goal is to create a logo that is not only beautiful but also truly adds value by resonating with the people you want to reach and strengthening the brand’s key values.

We also looked at how trends can influence the longevity of your logo. It is important to be trendy, but it is equally important to remain true to timeless principles.

In summary,

Truly understanding both the technical details and the emotional impact of typefaces is enormously important for designing a logo. This knowledge helps to develop brands that not only look good but also have a deeper strategic impact — a strong brand.

And for those of you who are interested in diving deeper, I’ve tried to capture the fundamentals we’ve discussed in this article, focusing on good typeface choices, font weights, and letter spacing in a tool huisstijl. While it’s not perfect yet, I hope it can help some people create a simple brand identity that they love.

Unreal Engine 5 leads a lineup of stellar new indie games

Original Source: https://www.creativebloq.com/3d/video-game-design/unreal-engine-5-leads-a-lineup-of-stellar-new-indie-games

The game art impresses in these highlights from Gamescom 2024.

Printful Quick Stores vs Printify Pop-up Store: Which is Best?

Original Source: https://ecommerce-platforms.com/articles/printful-quick-stores-vs-printify-pop-up-store

Printful Quick Stores vs Printify Pop-up Store: which is the best, most user-friendly option for selling print-on-demand products without an ecommerce platform or marketplace account?

First, I want to point out that both Printful Quick Stores, and Printify Pop-up Store aren’t the most scalable or flexible options for online retailers. Ultimately, as your business grows, you’re probably going to want to consider setting up a full store with a platform like Shopify, and integrating it with Printful or Printify.

After all, while Printify and Printful’s simple storefronts are great for beginners with limited budgets, they don’t give you access to all the features you need to grow your revenue, such as robust inventory management tools, marketing apps, and website design customization options.

Still, both tools do have their benefits. I put Printful Quick Stores, and Printify Pop-Up store to the test, to bring you this complete comparison guide.

Printful Quick Stores vs Printify Pop-Up Store: Quick Comparison

Ultimately, Printful Quick Stores and Printify Pop-Up store are very similar services.

Printful Quick StoresPrintify Pop-Up StoreAvailabilityCurrently available to US retailers and US customers only.Available to Printify customers worldwide. PricingFreeFreeCustomization OptionsAdd your own logo to your storeCreate a custom website URL Customize product descriptions and product imagesSet automated default markups for productsAdd your own logo to your storeGet a unique URL for your custom storeCustomize product descriptions and product imagesAutomated pricing customization Core features Simple storefrontEnd-to-end fulfillment through PrintfulComplete access to the Printful POD platformSimple storefront with a handful of themesEnd-to-end fulfillment through Printify partnersFull access to the Printify POD platform Unique benefits Consistent product quality due to in-house printing methodsPowerful mockup generator and design toolsAutomated customer order tracking Wide selection of worldwide printing partnersMore than 850 customizable productsDedicated merchant support teamAI-powered design tools (for products)Best forCompanies that want to take advantage of Printful’s reputation for exceptional print quality. Creators who want to launch a simple store with access to dozens of global print partners and countless unique products. 

What is Printful Quick Stores?

Printful Quick Stores is a free tool offered by the Printful print on demand company, that allows users to create a simple online store and start selling items online. It’s quite a new service from Printful, which first launched in June 2024.

Before this, the only way to sell items created with Printful online would be to either manually submit orders to the POD company, or integrate Printful with your existing marketplace or ecommerce platform. Printful integrates with dozens of platforms and tools, from Shopify to Amazon, which is one of the reasons I think it’s among the best POD platforms around.

However, launching and managing an online store can be expensive, time-consuming, and complicated for beginners. That’s why Printful decided to launch its Quick Stores service, to help anyone and everyone take advantage of the growing print on demand market.

Notably, unlike Printify Pop-Up store, Printful Quick Stores is currently only available to retailers and buyers in the US. You can only launch a Quick Store in the United States, and you won’t be able to sell products to global customers.

Try Printful Quick Stores

How to Use Printful Quick Stores

Getting started with Printful Quick Stores is very simple, provided you’re located in the US. All you need to do is sign up for a free account with Printful, then click on the “My Printful” tab in the menu on the right-hand side of your dashboard.

Click the Start button under “Connect your Store”, and you’ll be taken to a page where you can either integrate Printful with an existing sales channel, or create a new Quick Store.

Click Create store now under the Quick Stores option, and Printful will ask you to enter a few details. You can:

Choose a name for your store

Select a custom website address (though it will have the .printful.me TLD)

Pick your country of tax residence (US is the only option for now)

Upload a logo image to add to your store

Set your default markup for all Printful products on your storefront.

Once you’ve entered all your details, click Create Store and go back to your Printful dashboard. Click on the Stores tab and you should see your new store listed at the top of the page.

If you’ve already created product templates in Printful’s dashboard, you can click “Add Product” to immediately add those to your store. Alternatively, select “Add Product” and choose from Printful’s range of customizable products.

When you choose a product to sell on your store, you’ll automatically be taken to Printful’s design tool, where you can upload artwork, adjust its placement, and create mockups for your storefront. You’ll also be able to write product descriptions and add prices before uploading them to your store.

It’s as simple as that. From there, you can share the link to your Printful store with potential customers. Whenever they buy something, your earnings will be added to your Printful wallet. Printful will automatically transfer your profits to your chosen bank account, once a month, provided you’ve earned more than $25.

Try Printify Pop-Up Store

What is Printify Pop-up Store?

Printify Pop-Up store is a similar service to Printify Quick Stores, although Printify did offer the feature first. It allows you to create a simple store with a custom link, so you can sell products online without having to build an ecommerce store, or sell through a marketplace like Amazon.

Again, the store you create will be very basic. Like with Printful, you won’t be able to adjust your store’s appearance or functionality too much. However, Printify does give you some basic themes to choose from. You can also add a logo to your store, give your store a custom name, and create a custom URL. Although your URL will feature the Printify.me TLD (rather than something like .com).

Printify’s Pop-up store service is available to anyone with a Printify account, regardless of your location. I also like the fact that Printify allows you to add links to your social media accounts to your store – this isn’t an option with Printful Quick Stores.

How to Use Printify Pop-Up Stores

The process for creating a Pop-Up store with Printify is very similar to designing a “Quick Store” with Printful. All you need to do is sign up for a free account on Printify, then head to your dashboard, and click the “My New Store” tab in your menu.

Click on Add New Store and you’ll be taken to a page where you can choose to integrate Printify with an existing ecommerce platform or marketplace, or create a new “pop-up” store.

Select “Launch Pop-Up store” and you’ll be taken to a page where you’ll need to enter a few details, you can:

Select your country of tax residence

Choose a unique store name (and custom URL)

Upload a logo to use on your storefront

Choose a theme for your store

Link your social media accounts to your store

Connect your store with Facebook Meta pixels, and Google Analytics

Once you’ve entered all the core details for your store, you’ll be able to choose a theme to alter your store’s appearance. Notably, you won’t get the same variety as you would from a platform like Shopify. There are only five themes available, and they’re all pretty similar.

After choosing a theme, you can launch your pop-up store, then head back to your Printify dashboard to add products to your storefront. If you’ve already used Printify’s design tools to customize one of the products offered by the company, you can hover over the “…” menu next to that product in the “My Products” page to publish it to your store.

If you want to create a new product from scratch, click on the “Catalog” tab and choose from one of Printify’s products. You’ll be able to use all of the state-of-the-art design tools to customize your chosen product, including Printify’s AI image generator.

Remember to add a description to your products before listing them on your website. Once you’ve published your products to your store, you can share your custom link with potential customers. Whenever someone buys something from your store, Printify will send the details to your chosen print partner, and they’ll handle order fulfillment for you.

After deducting the cost of the product, taxes, and other fees from your earnings, Printify will transfer the profit to your Printify Wallet. Your earnings will then be transferred to your chosen bank account on the 14th of each month.

MORE:

Printful vs Printify – Full Comparison

Printify Pop-Up Store Review

Printful Quick Stores Review

Printful Quick Stores vs Printify Pop-Up Store: The Verdict

Printful Quick Stores and Printify Pop-Up Store are almost identical services. They both allow you to launch a storefront for free, and sell products without using a separate ecommerce platform or a marketplace like Etsy. However, Printify’s Pop-Up store does have some unique benefits.

First, it allows you to connect with a wider range of vendors, and choose from a broader selection of products than you’ll get on Printful. Additionally, Printify’s service is:

Available globally (Printful Quick Stores is only available in the US)

More feature-rich, with the option to connect to social media channels, and choose from a (limited) selection of store themes.

Less restrictive, as Printify will allow you to access your profits without any limitations (you have to earn at least $25 before making a withdrawal from Printful).

Obviously, Printful’s Quick Store solution is still very new, so there’s a good chance its features and benefits could improve in the months ahead. For now, however, Printify is the better option for quick and simple POD sellers overall.

The post Printful Quick Stores vs Printify Pop-up Store: Which is Best? appeared first on Ecommerce Platforms.

Printful Quick Stores: The Complete Guide for Retailers

Original Source: https://ecommerce-platforms.com/articles/printful-quick-stores-guide

Printful Quick Stores, originally introduced by Printful in June 2024, offers entrepreneurs and creators a convenient way to start selling products online, without the need to use a full ecommerce platform, or a marketplace like Etsy and Amazon.

It’s similar in a lot of ways to Printify’s “Pop-Up Store” service, offering a free, all-in-one tool individuals can use to sell a range of customizable products online. Although, personally, I’d recommend integrating Printful with at least one online marketplace or an ecommerce platform like Shopify to boost your brand’s reputation and increase sales, Quick Stores is great for beginners.

Here, I’ll share everything you need to know about Printful Quick Stores, and how it works, and I’ll provide a step-by-step guide for creating your own “Quick Store” with Printful.

Quick Verdict

Printful Quick Stores is a free tool creators can use to launch an online store and sell products through a custom link.

Quick Stores isn’t a comprehensive website builder or ecommerce platform, you won’t get access to a host of themes and design tools like you would with Shopify.

Currently Printful Quick Stores is only available to merchants in the US, and products sold through the channel can only be delivered to US addresses.

You can sell any of customizable products offered by Printful using Quick Stores, provided they’re available in the United States.

Profits earned through Printful Quick Stores are added to your Printful wallet, and transferred to your bank once per month, provided the payout amount exceeds $25.

The Pros and Cons of Printful Quick Stores

Overall, Printful Quick Stores is a convenient, free, and simple solution for selling print on demand merchandise. However, it’s not the best way to build a memorable brand or scale your business. Based on my experience, here are the key pros and cons of using Printful Quick Stores.

Pros 👍
Cons 👎

Pros 👍

It’s completely free to use with no setup costs
Quick Stores is extremely beginner friendly and easy to use
Printful handles production and order fulfillment for you
You benefit from all of Printful’s great design tools
You’ll be able to a wide range of high-quality products

Cons 👎

You can’t change much about the design of your store
You won’t be able to sell anything not created by Printful
Quick Stores is only available to US sellers, and US customers

What is Printful Quick Stores?

Quick Stores is the free tool offered by Printful to creators who want to sell products through a custom link online, without designing and managing a full ecommerce website, or creating an account to sell with a marketplace like Amazon or Etsy.

It basically gives you a simple storefront where you can showcase your logo, list the products you’ve created with Printful, and process customer payments through Stripe. Compared to a comprehensive ecommerce solution, Quick Stores is pretty basic.

There are no themes you can use to customize your site’s design. All you can really customize is your store’s name (and URL), your logo, and your product descriptions and photos.

The good news is that Printful Quick Stores is free, and very easy to use.

Once you create a store with the tool, you can share your custom link with buyers, and they can purchase products in an instant. All of their order information is automatically transferred to Printful, and their team handles the production and fulfillment process for you.

Similar to Printify’s Pop-Up Store creator, Printful Quick Stores offers ecommerce beginners a very easy way to start selling online, and you won’t need any website design knowledge to use it. However, unlike Printify Pop-up Store, Quick Stores is only available in the US (at least for now).

MORE: Printful Quick Stores vs Printify Pop-Up Store

How to Create a Store with Printful Quick Stores

You won’t need any technical knowledge, or design skills to create a Quick Store with Printful. All you need is a free Printful account (you can sign up with your email address or a Facebook, Apple, or Google account). I’d also recommend choosing a business name and designing a logo in advance.

After you sign up for a free Printful account, log in, and visit your Printful dashboard. Click on the Stores tab in the left-hand menu, and you’ll be taken to a page where you can choose whether you want to integrate Printful with an existing sales channel, or create a new store.

Notably, the “Quick Stores” option will only appear for merchants based in the United States. If you don’t see the Quick Stores section on your dashboard, it might not be available for you yet.

If you do see Quick Stores on your dashboard, click the Create store now button.

Customizing your Printful Quick Store

As I mentioned above, you can’t customize Printful Quick Stores like you would an ecommerce store built with Shopify or Wix. All Quick Stores will look very similar. However, you can add unique details to your store. You can choose a store name, and unique printful.me URL, for instance.

Keep in mind you can’t change your URL later, so make sure you choose something unique, memorable, and relevant. Once you’ve added your name and custom website address to your store, you can upload your logo. If you don’t have one, Printful will just display your store name at the top of the page when customers click on your link.

Next, you’ll need to choose your country of tax residence. Remember, Quick Stores is only available to merchants in the US right now, and it only delivers products to US customers.

Finally, you can select a “default markup percentage”. That’s how you tell Printful how to calculate the price of each product. You can change your markup later, or choose unique prices for each product individually too.

Once you’ve entered all of these details, click Create Store and you’ll be ready to start adding products you’ve designed with Printful.

Adding Products to your Printful Quick Store

After you’ve created your store, you can start designing and adding products to sell. Go back to your Printful dashboard and click on the Stores tab, and you’ll see a button to add a product to your store. If you’ve already designed product templates with Printful, you can add them directly.

If you haven’t designed any products yet, click on Product Catalog in the left-hand menu, and you’ll be able to browse through all of Printful’s customizable products.

Select an item you want to customize, and you’ll be taken to Printful’s Design Maker too. This gives you the option to upload designs, adjust their placement, and even add free assets to your design. You can experiment with text, clipart, and images.

Once you’re happy with the design, convert it into a mockup, add a title, and write an enticing description, outlining all of the most enticing features of your new product.

Then, you can adjust your product’s pricing. If you set a default markup percentage for your store, this will immediately determine the initial retail price. However, you can fine tune your pricing at any time. Finally, click Publish to add your product to your store.

Selling and Getting Paid with Printful Quick Stores

Once you have your Quick Store, you’ll need to promote and share it with as many potential customers as possible. I’d recommend publishing your link on your social media pages, and adding it to any email campaigns you send to buyers.

To receive payments for your products, go to your Printful dashboard and click Billing then Quick Store Payments. Choose Set up Payouts to make sure you can access your earnings.

Printful has partnered with Stripe to enable transaction processing for Quick Stores. When you’re creating your store, you’ll be asked to share your bank details, and create an account with Stripe. Then, each month, Printful will transfer anything you earn from Quick Stores into your bank account.

However, payouts are only processed if you earn at least $25. If you don’t meet that cap, you’ll need to wait for the next payout date when you hit the $25 mark.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can You have More than one store on Printful?

While you can only create a single Quick Store with Printful, you can still integrate the platform with a range of marketplaces and ecommerce platforms too. If you want to expand your reach and build your brand, you can connect Printful to channels like Shopify, Amazon, Etsy, and Squarespace.

Why can’t I see Quick Stores on my dashboard?

If you create an account with Printful and don’t see the Quick Stores option, you may be located outside of the United States. Quick Stores is only available to US retailers at this time. Additionally, some US customers may not have access yet, as Printful is taking a phased approach to introducing Quick Stores to all customers.

How is Quick Stores billing different?

If you use Quick Stores for your storefront, customers will pay Printful directly for any products they buy. Printful will then deduct any costs (such as the base product cost and design costs) from this amount, and send your profits to your Printful wallet. You’ll then be paid by Printful once per month, provided your payout exceeds $25.

The post Printful Quick Stores: The Complete Guide for Retailers appeared first on Ecommerce Platforms.

Momento Migrates Object Cache as a Service to Ampere Altra

Original Source: https://www.sitepoint.com/momento-migrates-object-cache-to-ampere-altra/?utm_source=rss

Momento Migrates Object Cache as a Service to Ampere Altra (1)

Explore Momento’s serverless cache on Ampere-powered Google Tau T2A, simplifying cloud app performance with automated resource management and high scalability.

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